Equinox
by September Wolves
Summary: AU in which Dorian was given to John when he was five years old. Possessive Dorian. Adorable John. Shameless fluff and angst. With plot.
1. Chapter 1

**Summary:**

**AU in which Dorian was given to John when he was five years old. Possessive Dorian. Adorable John.**

**Shameless fluff and angst.**

* * *

Chapter 1: Chapter One

The tiny boy pressed his face against the cold glass, eyes scanning the empty streets for the familiar black vehicle his father drove. His face split into an excited smile as the car pulled into the drive, his father stepping out and gesturing toward someone inside the car. John raced down the stairs in his brand new navy christmas jumper, and in his excitement, tumbled down the last few steps just as the door clicked open.

He expected a painful landing but someone reached out and stopped his wild descent before his body met the ground. The dark-skinned man smiled gently down at the confused boy and set him down onto his feet.

"I see you've met your new Christmas present." John's father smiled wryly, brushing melting snow off his jacket as he closed the door. "John, meet Dorian. Dorian, John."

The stranger brushed John's floppy hair from his eyes with gentle fingers and smiled as the little boy looked him over with an assessing gaze. He crouched down to John's level and gave him a wide grin.

"Hello John, I'm Dorian."

And that was how five-year-old John met Dorian.

* * *

It wasn't love at first sight. John disliked the strange addition to the family just as he had disliked his father's numerous attempts to bring a new mother into John's life. However, his father was not easily dissuaded this time and insisted that John take Dorian with him everywhere.

"He will be there for you when I'm not, John. Dorian will protect you."

And so when his father found them in the living room, the huge vase in pieces on the ground, John remained silent, his eyes glued to his toes. The robot surprised him by stepping forward and taking the blame.

"Mr. Kennex, I'm afraid I still have some trouble with my motion sensors. I'm sorry and it was not my intention to break this vase." He said smoothly, brushing a few pieces of porcelain out of his shirt. "John heard the noise and came to investigate."

Behind him, the small boy stiffened for a second before nodding slowly under his father's severe gaze. The older man turned back to the android and gestured at the scattered pieces on the ground.

"Dorian, clean up this mess. And when you are finished, report to my study, I need to have a look at those sensors you mentioned." He paused and turned to glance at the boy. There was a guilty panicky look in John's eyes and the boy bit his lip. "John, you may go back to your room."

It was a little after midnight when Dorian exited the lab, after a series of extensive questions. He could not lie to his creator and after a few vague answers, he told the truth. He hadn't anticipated the man's broad smile.

"Tell me Dorian, why were you compelled to lie about the situation?"

He thought hard. "Because I wanted to protect John."

"And why do you want to protect John?"

To this, Dorian didn't have an answer. The man was slightly disappointed by the silence and Dorian was dismissed shortly after.

As he walked down the stairs to the charge room, a small movement caught his eye. The boy's room was ajar and a small dark head of floppy brown hair stuck out. Dorian offered a small smile although he was certain John couldn't see it in the darkened hallway.

The boy ran out of his room, came to a stop in front of Dorian and pulled on his left hand. By the dim light of the room beyond, Dorian saw him peel the wrapper off a band-aid. John squinted at Dorian's hand and after a moment's hesitation, awkwardly taped it over a small cut on his thumb. The cut was a souvenir of the broken pieces of porcelain he had cleaned that afternoon. Without another word, the boy turned and ran back to his room, shutting the door with a gentle hiss. Dorian watched the closed door for a while, his mind running over the question he had been asked. He rubbed at the small band-aid over his thumb, feeling a small flare of pain in his sensors.

He smiled.

* * *

On the fifth anniversary of John's mother's death, the sky poured rain. Black clouds covered the sun and even blacker umbrellas littered the small graveyard. John, six and a half, was dressed in a tiny suit, his hair slicked back to reveal his pale pinched face. He looked like he was going to throw up. Dorian held the umbrella over John's head as the boy struggled to keep up with his father's longer strides while balancing an enormous bouquet of white lilies, his mother's favorite flowers.

The graveyard was exclusively for the rich, as there was limited space for the dead and most had their remains compressed and sent off to space. Only a few could pay the hefty sum to maintain an actual grave on the planet. Wind blew droplets of rain onto John's face, mingling with the tears that tracked silently down his cheeks. Dorian felt a heavy clench of discomfort in his chest as he observed the struggling boy.

When they arrived at the small headstone, a creamy ivory untouched by age, John wobbled forward clumsily and set the flowers gently onto the headstone. A small picture of a beautiful smiling dark-haired woman was set low in the stone. Dorian observed with some fondness that John had his mother's soft smile.

The boy sniffed and stood, allowing his father to step forward. Mr. Kennex kissed the headstone and closed his eyes, murmuring under his breath. Dorian tuned out the words, not wanting to intrude on such a private moment. John stood miserably in the rain, shoulders hunched under the small suit jacket, shivering uncontrollably.

On the way back, Dorian wordlessly picked the boy up, ignoring the protesting kicks and punches as he bundled the shivering wet thing into his jacket. A few moments later, John went still and the android felt hot wet tears trail down his neck as the boy buried his face into his neck. The rain fell silently as the trio made their way out of the forlorn cemetery.

* * *

"Hold still, Dory! I need to adjust the wig." John insisted, his face scrunched up in concentration. Dorian, who was decked out in a pink feather boa and leopard print gloves gave an exasperated sigh and stilled his body. The little boy crawled over Dorian's leg and gingerly tugged on a blonde curl.

"John, if you're still a little vague on genders, we should go over your biology lessons again." His father called from the study and John made a face, mimicking his father's words under his breath as he applied a generously thick layer of lipstick over Dorian's mouth. He scooted back to admire his handiwork. Dorian now looked like a jack'o'lantern. A smug grin spread over John's face as he settled himself onto Dorian's lap.

"Dory likes it." He said with simple confidence and Dorian couldn't help but smile indulgently as he pressed his lips to the soft fluffy curls atop John's head.

* * *

It was a rare occurrence, snow.

It fell in heavy flakes, covering the sharp industrialized city with a layer of soft white fluff, taking away the cold sharp edges and replacing them with something soft and pure.

"Eat your breakfast before you go out, John." Dorian called from inside the kitchen as the bundle of energy bounded for the door of the house. The boy wilted and grudgingly trudged back into the kitchen when the front door refused access. Dorian raised an eyebrow at the sight of John's attire. The boy was covered with countless scarves, sweaters, mitts and hats. Hazel eyes peered intently out from the bundle of clothes and Dorian couldn't help the snort of laughter as he set the plate down.

"At least eat your omelet before you go." He consented and John scooped the thing into an opening he dug in the bunched scarves and shot out the door, waving goodbye to Dorian as he went.

Fifteen minutes later Dorian found John sitting quietly on a pile of snow outside, his nose and cheeks pink from exercise, eyes closed and tipping his face skyward as he let the flakes melt into his lashes. The picture was of perfect child-like innocence. It was times like these that Dorian would suddenly recall that particular question Mr. Kennex had asked him four years ago, a question to which Dorian still couldn't really answer. He had a gut feeling that the answer was already there but these feelings were not normal for androids as they lacked hard scientific logic.

"You know, if you wanted a target to throw snowballs at, all you had to do was ask." Dorian put an arm around John and the boy's eyes fluttered open, a small smile flitting across his face. His eyes suddenly sparkled mischievously and that was the only warning Dorian got before a fistful of snow met his face.

The android wiped the slush off his face with a wide grin and stood up with deliberate slowness. John raced off towards the safety of a bush, his clear sweet child's laugh echoing in the crisp winter air. Dorian looked up at the sunlight breaking through fluffy clouds, flakes of white drifting down serenely, and set off after John with a handful of snow.

Maybe it was the influence of that particularly beautiful day, but every time snow fell, he would always recall the way the sun shone on John's smiling face and the sound of his laughter, happy and free.

* * *

Dorian jumped over a hover car and ignored the owner's indignant squawk. He maneuvered himself past the steady stream of traffic and arrived at the gate. After looking at his reflection in a car window, Dorian smoothed down his hair and rearranged his jacket. Then, without another moment of hesitation, he walked past the gates and into the school. He was just in time for John's career day presentation.

Dorian searched for John's cellphone GPS signal and made his way to the second floor. There, in classroom 3A, John's hunched form and scowling face greeted him. Dorian smiled and tapped smartly on the glass door. All eyes turned to him and he strode in smoothly, blinding the teacher with a brilliant smile.

The young woman blushed and gestured to the only remaining seat next to John. The boy deepened his scowl and glared at him as he sat down.

"Where's my dad?" John hissed under his breath, small hands clenched into fists under the table.

Dorian glanced at him and did a quick bio-scan. It was obvious the child was angry and disappointed that his father hadn't come. Dorian folded his hands in his lap and nodded at a few curious parents who were staring at him.

"Your father had to deal with some unexpected problems in the company. He sends his apologies." He took John's fist and smoothed the fingers out, lacing them in his own. "Isn't it better that I'm here? I bet the other parents don't know I'm an android."

Dorian was pleased to see that John visibly relaxed at the intimate gesture, a small smile lifted the corner of his mouth. He nodded grudgingly under Dorian's affectionate gaze.

"I missed you." John grumbled in Dorian's ear, his breath warm and tickling his skin. The boy was red in the face as his heart thumped so loudly Dorian didn't need his superior senses to hear it.

"Really? We'll continue this topic when we get home." Dorian squeezed John's fingers and brushed back a stubborn curl of brown hair from the boy's eyes.

It had been two weeks since he had gone back to the place where he called home. It was long ago that Dorian realized the definition of home was the small brunet child with serious eyes sitting quietly next to him, fingers tangled firmly in his own. When he reported his feelings to Mr. Kennex, the man had been delighted and started doing tests on Dorian with renewed vigor, mumbling excitedly about creating a whole new race of artificial intelligence that would change the world. Dorian had been administered several tests over the last two weeks, spending his days at Mr. Kennex's office and lab.

"Now, who wants to share first?" The teacher chirped from the front of the class. John, who was usually quiet in class, raised his hand and shot out of his seat like a rocket. He turned and grinned at Dorian, squeezing his fingers with his small ones. Dorian squeezed back and stood up with a smile.

"Hello, I'm Dorian." He said to the crowd.

* * *

"John, you must memorize these designs."

"I don't really want to become an engineer like you, dad."

"They are very important, you must remember them, John. Promise me you will remember." His father insisted in an urgent voice.

John, thirteen, looked up from his video game and frowned at the sheets of paper. The expression on his father's face was desperate and he looked so tired, with purple bruises under his eyes and hollowed cheeks.

Dorian was often absent from the house, returning in the dead of night and sporting the scent of something metallic and earthy. Mysterious cuts and tears appeared on Dorian's body and clothes. His father and the android spent days locked in the study. But no matter how much John asked, the two men evaded his questions and continued with their shady dealings. In retaliation, John ignored Dorian most of the time and was short-tempered with his father.

Then one day his father appeared in John's room, holding three sheets of paper in his unsteady hands. John barely glanced at the man as he carefully explained the importance of the notes, intent on his video game. Mr. Kennex stood awkwardly next to the boy's bed for a long moment, then he leaned forward and did something he had never done before.

He hugged John.

John was so surprised that the video game slipped from his fingers and clattered to the floor. John had never been hugged by his father before. Physical affection always came from Dorian, who seemed to like hugging him all the time. His father's frame was trembling as he tightened his arms around the only child he had. A weird uncertain feeling settled in John's stomach.

"Dad, what's up?" He asked, awkwardly wrapping his arms around his father's shoulders. He had never thought his father was so thin.

"Remember I will always love you, Johnny."

Johnny. That was another taboo. Only John's mother called him Johnny. No one had used that nickname since she had died when he was about a year old.

"Dad-" John was alarmed now, but his father shushed him.

"Dorian will protect you with his life. Trust no one. Memorize those sheets and destroy them, burn them." He pulled back and scrutinized his son's tense face. A small sad smile crossed his father's face. "you have her smile, Johnny. I'm so sorry."

He left before John could say anything. The next morning, John saw the report on his father's death.

* * *

"...left us the fruits of his creations..."

"...such a tragedy, he was so brilliant..."

"...that's his son isn't it? The poor boy..."

Dorian drew him closer and wrapped an arm around his shoulder, trying to block out the conversations, but he needn't have worried because none of it registered in John's mind. He was once again in a drab black suit, his hair slicked back and standing in the same cemetery. His father's headstone stood next to his mother's.

Dorian squeezed his fingers and stood next to the motionless boy as the crowd paid their respects and gradually thinned out. There was a small mountain of flowers near the headstone by the time the last visitor, an old dignified lady, walked off. John hadn't moved. Dorian felt worried as he peered down at the boy, helpless for the first time in his android life.

"He never liked flowers. My dad. He was allergic. That's why I always carried the flowers when we came to visit mom." John's voice was casual and the tone scared Dorian.

John laughed as the first drop of rain landed on his cheek. Even the weather was the fucking same.

-Tbc-


	2. Chapter 2

**TimeTravel AU. Dorian is given to John when he is five.**

* * *

**Chapter Two**

"Your omelet and coffee, John." Kate the waitress smiled at John as she drew close to his table, balancing the breakfast tray in one arm. She set the coffee down and winked at him. "A healthy meal for a growing boy, huh."

John snorted good-naturedly and took a sip from the cup. "Thanks, Kate."

Actually it had been orange juice that had always been the appropriate breakfast beverage in the Kennex household since John could remember. When his mother died, his father had fallen out of the habit, opting for black coffee instead. John, however, continued to uphold his mother's ritual of orange juice every morning. she had said it would make him grow tall and keep the doctors away. Dorian would set a tall glass of freshly made orange juice onto the kitchen island, and John would climb up the small stepping stool, and descend with the cup clutched carefully in his small hands. As he grew taller, the stepping stool was replaced with a bar stool. John would gulp down his breakfast, guzzle his juice and run out with a hurried goodbye. But no matter how busy he was, the juice was always part of his breakfast, and it felt right. He couldn't remember when he had stopped.

John's phone vibrated in his pocket, drawing him out of the memory. He found the memories slowly returning to him after the coma, small pieces of the puzzle fitting back in place. Of course there were still large gaps in his memory, but it had been improving with the aid of the recollectionist he met a few months ago.

"Kennex."

He listened for a few minutes, grunted affirmative, and hung up. Finishing his breakfast in a few bites, John signaled for Kate.

"Something came up, gotta go. Thanks for the food, Kate."

She smiled affectionately at him, and John felt his chest tighten. If his mother had lived, she would have been around Kate's age by now. With an inward sigh, John stood and pushed his way out of the restaurant. Rain fell in a light drizzle as John hurried to his car, his synthetic leg giving small dull throbs of discomfort as he walked. He took a pill and started the car, ignoring the MX staring at him from across the street.

The day was just starting and just when he thought it couldn't get any worse, it did.

He blamed the MX. Threatening to tattle on him just because he had a temporary flashback during their morning investigation, and interrupting him while he was driving. John had simply reached over, opened the door, and shoved 785 out. The sounds of destruction behind him were drowned out by the radio as John casually cranked up the volume. He glanced through the mirror, and winced at the small pileup he managed to cause, offering a silent apology to the cars behind him.

Now, he was sitting on the back steps of a dilapidated apartment, pill canister in one hand and staring at his fake leg. What was he going to do about the destroyed MX? Advanced combat robot partners were a mandatory part of the police force now, and there was no way Sandra would let him get away with not having a partner.

"Damn it!" John rubbed his face with his hands, and using the rusty rail next to him, pulled himself up with a wince. His leg was starting to throb again, a dull discomfort that made him short tempered and annoyed. He'd have to file an accident report first, then get another android partner. John sighed and made his way back to the car.

* * *

"It fell, out of a moving car?" Rudy peered disbelievingly up at him through his horn rimmed glasses.

"Must be a software malfunction." John tried to look innocent. Rudy's eyebrows were now threatening to fly off his face and into space.

"Software." He repeated incredulously. John scowled.

"We'll we don't have any MXs available right now. And since there is only one other model approved for police assistance, I can only get you a DRN." To John's great relief, Rudy set the report down and stood up, gesturing for him to follow. They were walking through what looked like an extremely cluttered closet now, filled with various artificial limbs and heads. Rudy tripped over a wayward arm and would have gone sprawling if it hadn't been for John, who yanked him upright again with a choking hold on his collar. Rudy rubbed his neck gingerly and gave John a suspicious glance. John tried a small innocent smile but the techie didn't look convinced.

"Anyway, you're in luck. I acquired a DRN just around the time you woke up from that little coma of yours. These models are really hard to get nowadays, with the MXs replacing them and all. But they are real beauties. Come on, I'll show you." With that, Rudy flounced off excitedly. John rolled his eyes. No wonder the guy was still single.

They squeezed through a small side door into a storage room. By the dim light, John could see there was only one man-sized package hanging in one of the hangers. Rudy made for it and gestured for John to join him. He felt a strange sense of nervousness pass over him, an invisible hand tightening around his ribs and making him feel lightheaded. Rudy was unzipping the package now, and John drew close enough to see the humanoid shape peeking out of the wrappings. By the dim light of the room, he could just make out the familiar face and dark skin. John felt the sharp pain in his chest blossom out, black spots dancing in his vision as his heart constricted.

Oh god. It couldn't be him. He tried to say something past the ringing in is ears. Nothing but a strangled whine came out.

He collapsed.

* * *

"Oi, John..." Someone was tapping on his cheek insistently, voice panicked. "Oh god, please don't make me kiss you..."

He felt someone tip his head back and jolted awake, hands grabbing wildly. Rudy's face was inches from his, expression painfully awkward. John had his fist around the poor man's collar again, nearly choking him with his death grip.

John looked around. They were still in the storage room, although now the lights were fully on, and he was lying on the ground with a dull ache in the back of his head.

"What happened?" John asked hoarsely, and pulled himself upright.

"I don't know... One minute you were fine, then I turn around and you were on the ground..." Rudy scratched his head and offered a hand when John tried to stand. "Scared the crap out of me. Thought you had a heart attack."

John shook his head. "It's nothing to worry about. I thought I saw something, that's all."

The smaller man looked highly dubious, but he stood back when John declined his help. "I know you're a macho detective and all, but maybe you should sit down, John. Is only been a few weeks since you came out of that coma..."

John sat in silence while Rudy set up the table, unwrapping the android fully and dragging it onto the lab table. His gut clinched painfully when he saw the familiar face, almost longing to touch the contours of the familiar smile. But Dory was long gone and John had made up his mind to forget all about him.

He clenched his fist around the pendant around his neck, feeling the ridges dig deep into his palm. It sent a spark of pain through his hand, and it made him feel better, more grounded now.

"You know, you don't see many of these models anymore. I was really lucky to get this one, a friend gave him to me. See, originally he was set for NASA." Rudy bent down and hooked several plugs into the motionless android, and a shimmering screen popped up over its head.

"He should be perfectly functional, maybe just a few bugs and glitches, but we'll fix them when they appear. No worries, John."

"Are they all based on the same design?" John had wandered over, his face curious as he studied the lifeless robot.

"Design?" Rudy looked up with a puzzled expression. "If you mean the Synthetic Soul Program, then yes. But then, they had a series of updates, this one happens to be the latest. But you should know, I mean, your father was the one who created the initial design."

He bit his lip when John looked up with an annoyed expression.

"Sorry. I don't mean to be a crushing school girl, but your father was a brilliant man." Rudy rubbed his forehead with an embarrassed laugh. "He was my hero growing up. Always wanted to be like him, designing robots and all."

"And where did that get him?" John said bitterly. "No I don't mean the Synthetic Soul, I meant their physical features. Are they all based off of this one?"

"Oh, no. Of course not. DRNs are like the IRCs, or sexbots, they have different appearances. Every one is unique." Rudy handed over a small metal rod. "Now, you have the honor of waking him yourself. Just press it against his left ear."

John glanced down at the android lying on the table. The robot's features were the same, skin dark and smooth. It looked exactly like Dory. Except that Dory was long gone and this had a different serial number. He took a deep breath and pressed the rod to the android's ear. The result was immediate. Its eyes flew open, a small gasp escaping its lips as it jolted awake.

Rudy let out a dreamy, girly sigh. "Isn't it beautiful?"

John ground his teeth together in irritation. The bot had eyes the exact same shade of blue as Dory did.

"John, meet Dorian. Dorian, John." Rudy swept his hands in a grand gesture. John choked.

"What do you mean its name is Dorian?" He demanded, hooking a fist in Rudy's collar and dragging him off, ignoring the bot's outstretched hand.

"Well it was on the registration manual..." Rudy looked bewildered at John's anger.

"You have got to be kidding me...shit." John groaned, his eyes scrunched up and took a few breaths to calm his thumping heart. He wasn't going to go through it again. He had gotten over Dorian, the was no way he was going to go through the painful ordeal again.

"You don't have anything else?" He demanded, shaking Rudy like a small dog. Rudy shook his head quickly.

John slumped in defeat.

* * *

"Detective Kennex."

Ignore him, John told himself as he moved a bit fast. He needed to examine the crime scene.

"John."

The voice was the same, yet different. John stumbled and cursed his stupid fake leg. The android caught up and reached out to steady him. John flinched away.

"Don't talk, just stay still. Answer whatever questions I have for you, and that is it. You do not try to engage anyone in any type of conversation, got it?" John glared at the bot, his face in an uncomfortable grimace. The leg was starting to bother him again and it was slowly but surely driving him insane.

"Synthetic calibration incomplete. Synthetic calibration incomplete." His leg chose that moment to act up again. John cursed loudly, ignored the disapproving glances from the other officers, and ducked back into his car. He then promptly started banging on his leg with the end of a pistol. The robot standing outside the car snorted and pulled open the door.

"Detective, allow me." He said smoothly, and ignoring John's splutters of surprise, deftly pulled up his right pant leg. Five minutes later, the android stepped away, a small smile lingering on his lips and a flushed detective Kennex pushed himself out of the car, his face beet red.

John hurried over to Valerie, ignoring the burning sensation of the android's gaze on the back of his neck.

"They are targeting cops, John. That's why they stole those bio tech." Rudy's voice came over the phone, shaky and tiny. "It's like getting a hundred diseases at once, the immune system goes berserk."

John stared at his phone, eyes unfocused. Vogel was dead. Someone was targeting cops and one of Vogel's files was missing. He needed to clear his head, and he needed to do it without the stupid android hovering next to him like a large fly.

"Stay here and help detective Stahl. I need to sort things out."

He ended up in the Koln Avenue again, replenishing his pain meds and grabbing a drink. He was itching to visit the recollectionist again, but the blinding headache building behind his eyes dissuaded him. John downed another shot, shoulders hunched and staring unseeingly at the tabletop.

Dory had always disapproved of drinking. John could remember vague images of arguing with the android, Dory's face heavy with disappointment and worry. He couldn't remember much after that. Their relationship had gotten rocky after John turned fifteen, as rebellion set in and teenage hormones started affecting him. And the dreams had been rather hard to ignore as well.

He felt his face flush at the thought.

And now, there was an imposter with him, following him wherever he went. John quickly sobered at the thought. He was getting into his car when the call came. Dorian's voice came across the line and John had to struggle to get his breath under control.

"John, you have to see this. I'm sending you the video now. We found out they are going to target the precinct tonight. Meet me at Rudy's workshop."

He sped off without a second thought.

* * *

The break in had started before they arrived. MXs were lying motionless as John stepped into the precinct carefully, his gun trained in front of him. Dorian followed, swiftly overtaking him and scanning the darkened interior.

"How come you're not on the ground with the rest of your synthetic buddies?" John couldn't help but ask. Dorian didn't even bother to look at him.

"I operate on a different frequency."

It wasn't hard to locate the bad guys. John followed the sound of bullets echoing in the building and found himself on the floor of the evidence locker. A man with a strange can of gas was coming at him, gun raised in one hand. John moved to intercept the man, but a hard shove sent him sprawling as the man unlatched the canister. A cloud of gas enveloping Dorian, and the android calmly walked through the gas, not even pausing when the man started shooting. Valerie tackled the man from behind, a punch to the head dislodged the can and Dorian kicked it into the corner.

John groaned as he picked himself up, his gun focusing on the man's forehead now. They had him, but John was furious.

"You son of a bitch." He turned on Dorian the moment Maldonado took the man away, jabbing a finger into the android's chest for emphasis. "Why did you push me, huh? We are supposed to be partners, you can pull something like that in the middle of an operation!"

Dorian grabbed the annoying finger and looked at the man in front of him. John looked livid, his eyes shining and cheeks flushed.

"My job is to protect you." John flinched violently at the words, trying to draw his hand back. "The gas would have triggered the same effect as Vogel. It would not affect me, so I pushed you out of harm's way."

He finally let John go when the man looked angry enough to pull his gun on Dorian, feeling the lingering warmth and texture of John's skin on his hand. John slumped into a nearby chair and stared off into space while Dorian stood silently next to him. They watched Rudy hurry in, give an indignant squeal and rush toward one of his precious MX babies. John snorted, a faint smile lingering at the corners of his lips.

Then he glanced at the android next to him and the smile disappeared like water down the drain. John adopted a look of peevish annoyance.

"Get out of here, synthetic." He barked.

* * *

John was once again sitting in Kate's diner, a newspaper on the table and rubbing the lingering traces of hangover off his face. It was barely seven and the sun was already glaring through the wisps of clouds, signaling that it was going to be a sunny day. He sighed as Kate walked over. She smiled at him.

"The usual, John?" She asked cheerfully.

"Yeah." He mumbled with a tired smile, turning to look out the window. Someone tapped on the glass. John glanced over and blinked in shock. Dorian stood outside, a smile bright enough to match the weather stretched wide over his face. He made a complex gesture and said something, but John couldn't understand any of it. A car turned a corner, sending up a shower of rain from a deep puddle, and splashed the back of Dorian's clothes. The bot turned with a bewildered expression, the back of his pants now dark with mud and rainwater. John snorted with a barely concealed laugh as the android turned back to him with a hideous expression of woe now etched on his face. Somehow the day didn't seem to have started off so badly now.

Dorian was now gingerly shuffling away from the puddle, eyes narrowed in suspicion as another car passed. John gave in. He waved to the android and gestured to the empty seat in front of him. Dorian visibly perked up. John sighed and rubbed his face again, hoping he had made the right decision. Kate was walking off when he called her name. She turned around.

"Yes, Hun?"

John took another glance out the window. The sun shone bright as the dark skinned android cheerfully skipped along the street, the seat of his pants dripping mud as he pushed open the door to the diner.

He couldn't help the small smile.

"You know what, Kate?" He turned to the smiling woman. "Could you get me a glass of orange juice instead?"


	3. Chapter 3

**TimeTravel AU. Dorian is given to John when he is five.**

* * *

**Chapter Three**

When John was ten, his father took him fishing on a cold winter morning. They sat in the little boat, rocking slowly toward the center of the lake. John was animatedly telling a story from school while his father listened with polite interest. The sun shone dully behind a thick winter cloud and snow was starting to fall. John's breath billowed out in cloudy vapors as he blew air onto his chilly fingers.

Dorian had been left home to take care of a few things for his father, and John tried to hide his disappointment. His stories died up and they sat in the small boat in dead silence, each holding a pole in their hands. It was boring and John felt sure that if Dorian had been there, he would have made it fun. The thought immediately made him feel guilty and he tried to think about other things.

They sat there for hours, gently rocking to and fro in the tiny boat in the middle of the small lake. John's legs were numb from both the cold and from sitting still for too long, so when he finally got his first bite, he stumbled in his excitement when he tried to stand, and toppled over into the lake.

The icy water knocked the air out of John's lungs as he sank. They streamed out toward the light of the surface in large silver bubbles, and he watched them float away with a sort of serene detachment. Initially the water had been so cold it felt like knives on his exposed face, then it had gotten numb, almost warm as it caressed his cheeks. John stopped struggling almost immediately and felt himself float away. There was darkness, then a faraway splash, and he felt strong arms wrench him toward a solid chest. They were moving up, strong legs kicking in the murky water, unaffected by the cold.

"John! John! Is he okay? Oh my god, Dorian?" He heard his father's voice, strangled and panicked. Frantic fingers ripped away his wet clothes and John felt icicles forming in his hair. He felt numb. Gentle hands wrapped around his shivering body and pulled him against a warm chest. John looked up though blurry eyes and saw Dorian frowning down at him, dripping wet and impossibly warm. His heart skipped a beat and settled contentedly back in his chest. He was safe now, and no one, nothing, could hurt him.

They somehow made it back to the car, John wrapped in Dorian's jacket, and starting to thaw painfully. He was placed carefully on top of Dorian in the backseat as his father drove, allowing Dorian's heat to warm him up again. John twitched in pain when blood started circulating back to his fingers and toes.

"If you're lucky, we won't have to cut these off." Dorian said with a straight face, and watched ten-year-old John stare at him with open mouth horror. He finally smiled and pulled the icy fingertips toward his mouth, warming them with small puffs of breath. John squirmed under the heavy blanket they shared and giggled feebly. The giggling and whispering turned to small coughs and snuffles and later on, a raging fever.

He had never truly wondered why Dorian had suddenly appeared just then, and conveniently saved his life. The odd occurrence was later packed away and forgotten as time passed.

* * *

John jerked awake, his head throbbing and nose streaming with blood. The recollectionist watched his violent reaction with a sort of detached sympathy the man had come to develop for John. John accepted the tissue and wiped blood from his face with a wince.

"I didn't come here to reminisce about my fucking childhood. I need to remember two things, one is about the contents of the papers my father gave to me before he died, and the other id the day of the explosion. How hard is it to do that?" He growled impatiently.

The older man sighed wearily. "John, remember what I told you the first day you came to me?"

John snorted. "Yeah, that my brain was like a bag of cats."

"We'll, a bit yes. Your memories are scrambled so much that it is hard to pinpoint a particular time in your past, not to mention you also have severe holes in your memory. In order to access a particular memory, we have to organize them first. This is why we have to do this first, make you remember random things and place them in order. If I didn't know better, I'd say someone did this to you deliberately."

John groaned and let himself flop back onto the chair. He stared at the ceiling blankly. "This time I remembered when my dad took me fishing. I was ten and I fell in the lake. My android jumped in and saved me."

The older man hummed. "Well, you were lucky he was there."

"But he wasn't. Not at first." John protested, sitting upright again. He frowned and thought hard. "We left Dorian to charge at home. There was no way he could have gotten to the lake in such a short time, it's a four hour drive. It was like he knew I was going to fall in..."

His brain hurt and John accepted the glass of water the Asian man handed him. Now that he really thought about it, it seemed impossible that Dorian could have been there. Somehow, he knew that if he could just remember what his father had given him on that day, the answers would come. What had he done with those three pieces of paper?

* * *

"Really? The whole department is on the backup generator?" John stuffed another donut into his mouth and chewed loudly in Richard's disgusted face. The shorted officer rolled his eyes and took a subtle step away from John, who was busy guzzling his breakfast.

"Still on orange juice, what are you a baby?" Richard sneered. And got punched in the face by Dorian, who had popped out of nowhere. John stifled an amazed chuckle and finished his drink.

"Breakfast of champions." Dorian sang and raised a hand for John to high-five as Richard sputtered angrily, his MX standing uncertainly beside him. John rolled his eyes, but indulged his DRN and slapped palms. He didn't expect Dorian to lean over and drape a heavy arm around his shoulder.

"So partner, what are we doing today?" He leered. John raised an eyebrow.

"You okay? Dorian, you're acting a bit odd today. Maybe I should get Rudy to check up on you." He tried not to sound too concerned. Dorian made Bambi eyes at John and sighed girlishly. Goosebumps broke out and John extracted himself from his android partner, and shuffled over to Richard.

"Damn it, it's my personality interface. It's malfunctioning because I'm saving power for other vital functions." Dorian scowled and sidled over to Richard, palms up in a gesture of peace. "I'm sorry, say we're cool, man..."

Richard backed away with a suspicious glint in his eye, but relented when Dorian tried to get closer, vaulting over a table in the process. Several fellow officers chuckled, and Richard flushed beet red. John was quietly enjoying the chaos unfolding in the room when Dorian doubled back to him, giggling insanely and jiggling about. John sobered relatively quickly.

* * *

"So uh, half a charge does that to you? Better put in a note to the captain for you to get full charge next time." John muttered as Dorian rubbed his face for the fifth time since they got into the car. Dorian grunted and bared his teeth. John rolled his eyes.

They were on their way to a bank, where an unusual robbery had taken place. According to the video feed and the workers at the bank, the men had just walked in, subdued everyone, put the correct code into the vault, provided live DNA of the bank official and made off with million of dollars. They also mentioned a name. John's name.

"In three minutes, we will be gone, and your police won't get here until we have left. Don't struggle, or would you rather be dead?" John watched in silence as the tall red-haired man walked over to the camera, his face carefully concealed. "We'll see each other very soon, Detective Kennex. This is, shall we say, just an appetizer."

There was a loud splintering sound of glass breaking, and John whirled around in bewilderment. A huge spiderweb of cracks had appeared in the steel-enforced fiber glass of the building, and Dorian was busy wrench his hand free, a dark scowl on his face.

"Seriously?!" John was about to tear his hair out in frustration, and the bank manager looked seconds away from fainting on the spot.

"Detective, please control your partner!" The old woman sputtered indignantly.

Dorian thundered over, his face dark with possessive rage. "How dare he! I won't let this happen, he thinks he can hurt you? Well think again."

John blamed all this on Richard and his stupid MX charging privileges.

"Go sit in the corner. Go!" John scowled. Dorian looked like he was going to protest, then threw up his arms and stalked over to the corner and sat down.

"Ma'am? You said there was something unusual about this robbery?" John went back to the manager.

She looked nervously around her before leaning close. "Detective Kennex, our bank is somewhat different from other banks. We have a set of very different security systems. It changes everyday. However, if one of our clients chose to visit their vault, we contact each client beforehand and go over the security details on the day of arrival. The robbers today accessed the vaults with standard procedures without setting off the alarms." She took a deep breath.

"That is impossible. It almost seemed like they could predict the future..."

John frowned. Future predictions were, as the manager said, impossible. But all camera footage suggested the robbers knew exactly how to navigate the security procedures and the private safes. John didn't know what to think. Was it possible for such technology to exist?

He turned to ask Dorian and found the android walking hurriedly toward the entrance, his expression angry.

"Dorian! Where are you going?!" John hollered across the hall. The android turned, something unreadable in his expression. John thought he saw regret.

"John, I have something to tell you. But first, I have to talk to the captain."

* * *

He didn't like how things were playing out. John sat at his desk, eyes flicking toward the captain's office every few seconds. But it was all to no avail. The glass had been fogged the moment Dorian stepped inside. What the hell was going on? John scowled at the computer screen in front of him. He didn't like the fact that Dorian was keeping secrets from him. And why weren't they pursuing the bank robbery case anymore?

There was a loud crash and John looked up to see Dorian storm out of Sandra's office, ignoring the sliding doors and leaving a giant hole.

"Sorry. My sensors are being affected by the low charge." He apologized to the stunned officers at large. John stole a glance at Richard and noticed the other man looked regretful about enforcing his whole charging privilege protocol.

"Dorian, we have to catch those robbers. Where the hell do you think you're going?" John demanded, grabbing the android by the sleeve of his jacket.

"We don't have time. You can't catch him anyway." Dorian dismissed. "Looks like I finally got it right. John, you are in danger."

"What?"

"We have to go to Rudy's."

"Why?!"

"I will explain when we get there."

* * *

John's annoyance grew into fury as the minutes passed. Rudy took one look at Dorian's expression, uttered a small 'oh' and stepped aside to let them in. Then they scurried off into a separate room and locked the door, leaving John standing stupidly in front of a miniature holographic dancing stripper on Rudy's desk.

Five minutes later, Dorian nearly broke down another door as they stepped out. Rudy looked downright epileptic with nervousness as he fluttered around Dorian. The android had a determined look on his face.

"John, I have to tell you something."

He kept his anger carefully concealed as he smiled tightly. "Yeah? About time you did. What's making you guys all squirrelly?"

"Remember that time when you were ten and you went fishing with your father? You fell into the lake and almost froze to death?" Dorian smiled gently as if he was remembering some bittersweet memory of long ago. John stared.

"How do you..." He sputtered brokenly.

"And I was suddenly there? Remember? Do you want to know how I knew you were going to get hurt?"

John was steadily backing away, his heart pounding and ears ringing. There was no way Dorian, his police partner, could know about his childhood accident. Hell, he only recalled it two days ago when he went to the recollectionist. Those memories were filled with the fond wistful remembrance of Dory, his childhood hero and best friend. Even now, there was a certain soft spot John reserved for him deep in his heart. But Dory was gone. All he could remember was suddenly being left alone, and then he had somehow found Sandra and she helped him secure a home and a part-time job... The rest of his memory was a jumble of images and sounds.

"That wasn't you...how would you..." John was a wreck. They were lying. All of them, ganging up to play some mean trick. He groped blindly for the gun strapped to his side. Dorian held up his hands in a gesture of peace.

"John, it's me, Dory. I was never gone." Dorian tried to smile, but it came out more like a grimace. An electronic voice interrupted them, informing them of low charge. The DRN scowled and turned to Rudy.

"Give me a knife." He demanded, and the thin man jumped into action.

"What are you doing?" John held his arms steady, the gun pointed at Dorian's face.

"Here. Don't kill each other, please." Rudy handed a small blade to Dorian. John tensed visibly.

"Remember I gave you that pendant? The weird shapeless one you didn't want? Don't deny it, John. You're wearing to right now." Dorian took off his jacket. John blinked sluggishly and felt the weight of the thing on his chest. He could vaguely remember Dory tying it around his neck one day and telling him to hold on to it for him, that one day he would bring back the other half.

"I see you remember. I told you there was a second half, right?" Dorian took a step forward, slowly pulling his standard DRN shirt off and leaving himself bare chested. John stared stupidly, not quite following what was going on.

Then the android pressed the blade to his ribs and wedged the sharp end into the flesh, grimacing in pain.

"What the hell?!" John was truly lost.

"What I've been doing, I can't keep things on my person. So in order to keep it, I had to put it somewhere." Dorian winced as purple liquid started to leak out of the wound. He dug three fingers in and pulled something out with difficulty.

It was a similar pendant, or rather, it was a second part of something that looked strangely like a projection disk.

Dorian held it up in his hand, coated with the strange liquid DRNs called blood, his face open and sincere.

"Take it, John. It will explain everything."

He stared at the hand, at the familiar object. He used to trace the pattern and whirls on the other half around his neck to lull himself to sleep on lonely nights. Was it possible, what they were saying?

He took a deep breath and reached for Dorian's hand.


End file.
